Home Away From Home

This is a heartwarming story I would like to share with everyone. Recently, I had a client from New Delhi who came with his two-year-old son. The boy has lost his mother and the father wanted a serviced apartment so that the boy could have a home-like atmosphere. We put him up at our premium property in Goregaon East, which has a massive garden and play area for kids. And they loved it there. Everyday, the father and son would go roaming all over Mumbai--Esselworld, Water Kingdom, Gateway of India, Girgaum Chowpatty, Hanging Gardens, etc. And they would come back home and chill out at the Goregaon East apartment. The housekeeper at the apartment took extra care of the little boy and rustled up whatever he wanted to eat. At the end of their week-long home stay, the father was so overwhelmed with the hospitality that he has promised he would come back to Dreamhome serviced apartments the next time they visit Mumbai.

On that note, let me add another incident regarding a kid who stayed at Dreamhome serviced apartments. This 4-year-old girl had come all the way from the US with her parents and stayed at one of our Malad properties. Located near one of the biggest and best maintained parks in Malad, the girl had a whale of a time. The family shopped a lot too, so much so that when they were packing for their departure, they realised that their bags were grossly overweight. Left with no option, they left behind some of the girls clothes, jumpers, dolls and accessories. We, in turn, donated the entire lot to an orphanage for girls in Malwani. Thanks to these guests, the girls will have a cosy winter this time!

Choosing The Right Apartment

How to tell a quality serviced apartment from a sub-standard one.

I often get calls from people who haggle over prices. They tell me of dirt-cheap offers in posh areas, trying to negotiate a cheaper deal at Dreamhome. But we at Dreamhome do not believe in negotiations that will in turn compromise the quality of service offered. Some may take offence, but I firmly believe that "if you throw peanuts, you get monkeys"!

I have had a first-hand look at companies offering cheap deals. Most of them put together mismatched, cast-off furniture that are on their last legs with shabby linen and furnishings. That's definitely not the case with Dreamhome, as my clients will vouch for.

In fact, I have had clients who have come to Dreamhome after a horror stay at some of these cheap apartments. The list of complaints have ranged from bed bugs, unclean smelly bedsheets, small matchbox-like rooms where you get down from the bed and enter the equally tiny loo, bad service, etc.

Dreamhome specialises in exclusivity. Most of our apartments are exclusive serviced apartments, where there is no intrusion on the guests' privacy. Even a 3 bedroom Serviced apartment which is preferred by corporates and budget travellers, is completely self contained with television, digital cable connection, Wi-Fi, wardrobes, beds with comfort mattresses, dressing tables, electric kettles etc. which takes car of all the guests needs. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is also served at the apartment to make the guest feel completely at home. 

Guests also have the privilege of cooking their own meals, if they so desire. Recently, we hosted a Masterchef contestant at one of our properties, and she would cook up a storm every day that she stayed.

Thus, Dreamhome clearly has an edge over hotels in this regard.